Saturday, July 30, 2011

Plate-Licking Piccata

It's rare that I lick my plate after eating. Yes we all say, "Wow, that was so good I wanna lick the plate," but most of us don't really do that. But you will, if you make this. And it's quick. And it doesn't have to be fattening.

Here's What You Need:
Chicken Breasts (pounded very thin)
Flour (for dredging)
Salt & Pepper
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1/2 cup of chicken stock (use homemade...it's what really makes you wanna lick the plate)
2 tablespoons of olive oil (that's a guess, I just coat the bottom of my pan with it)
1 tablespoon of butter (that's not a guess. I really only use 1 tbsp. of butter)
2 tablespoons of capers (again, if you love em, use more)
2 tablespoons of parsley

Here's What You Do:Pound out your chicken breast, so that it's very thin. Or you can butterfly it, if you have a really sweet knife and a desire to lose a finger. But I've already been to the ER for a sliced finger. It's no fun and it's not cheap. Plus, pounding the crap out of something is a great stress reliever.

Once you have thin pieces of chicken (I had 4 thin pieces) salt and pepper both sides of your chicken. Place a saute pan on the stove and add in olive oil at medium heat. Let the oil heat up while you dredge your chicken lightly in the flour, shaking off any excess. Once your oil is hot enough (I like to splash a little bit of water in my pan. If it sizzles like crazy, you're ready to go) add in your chicken and cook about 3 minutes per side until both sides are nice and crunchy looking brown. That should be the color of a Crayola crayon. Crunchy Brown. Crayola - if you're looking to rename crayons, I'm your girl.

Once your chicken is browned and cooked, set it aside on a paper towel, to drain off any excess oil. Now, what you have is a pan with yummy browned bits in the bottom of it. Add lemon juice and chicken broth and bring to a boil, scraping your pan with a wooden utensil to incorporate all the flavor from your pan. Once the liquid begins to boil, bring it down to a simmer for about 5-8 minutes, to reduce and thicken your sauce. Add in your capers and parsley. Taste it. Add in salt or pepper if you need to, but your capers will add a good salty flavor, so be sure to taste it before just seasoning all willy nilly-like. And right before you serve it, add in a tablespoon of butter and stir it until melted.

Plate your chicken. I served mine over arugula dressed with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Add the sauce over the top. Eat your chicken. And I dare you to let that juice go to waste. So lick your plate. Don't be ashamed. No one's watching. You worked hard (not really) on that sauce. Enjoy it. Bottle it. Use it as cologne, or lip gloss.